Antecedentes

Organizational Context 

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Sahel region has been facing an unprecedented security crisis since 2012. Several countries are facing various economic, political and social challenges. This situation has led to problems of violent extremism and intercommunal conflict. Despite the many opportunities in the region, the population is facing problems of poverty and a severe humanitarian crisis. The main regional actors and the international community have been mobilized to contribute to responses for peace and development in the region.

This crisis context prevails in a region where women were already subject to several forms of violence and discrimination underpinned by a number of sociocultural beliefs and barriers that are deeply rooted in tradition. The high levels of gender inequality in Sahel countries can be found in several areas, including in particular: -gender-based violence and other harmful practices, low participation of women in political life, issues related to access to basic social services, economic inequalities. Women have organized themselves into associations and have a great potential to contribute significantly to the stabilization of the region as they are key actors for peace and development in the region. Unfortunately, they face several challenges related to the weak organizational, institutional and programmatic management capacities .

Considering these challenges, a four years project entitled “Building the capacity of women's organizations and create a strong women's movement for peace in the Sahel region” has been developed to  better organize women led organizations into strong networks and coalitions in order to influence peace processes at local, national and regional levels. In addition, the project is meant to strengthen their advocacy skills that will make it easy for them to carry out operational activities on the ground, especially in the border regions most affected by conflict, as they have great potential, and this will increase their credibility and impact for peace.

Reporting to Women Peace and Security Regional Policy adviser, the Project Coordination Specialist is responsible for coordinating the project coordination portfolio which includes coordinating relationships with national and regional partners and stakeholders, and the monitoring and reporting, and the finances and personnel of the project. 

Deberes y responsabilidades

Functions

1.   Coordinate the Women, Peace and Security in the G5Sahel region project

  • Coordinate the overall Project work plan development and implementation according to Strategic Note/ project document;
  • Liaise with the Project Board, national and regional counterparts, donors, UN Women and partners to ensure the Project results are achieved and resources are managed;
  • Prepare and present work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to the Project Board and UN Women;
  • Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with partners;
  • Record and maintain documents on relevant Project activities, issues, and risks.

2.   Guide coordination with national partners and other stakeholders

  • Coordinate relationships with national and regional partners to support implementation and expansion of the Project, raise potential problems and provide solutions;
  • Provide guidance to partners on establishment of performance indicators, and monitoring achievement of results;
  • Identify capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training, cross-partner learning, and capacity development initiatives.

3.   Coordinate the monitoring and reporting on the Project

  • Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on the project from the planning to the evaluation stages;
  • Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds by partners; conduct regular monitoring visits;
  • Write annual and quarterly reports; review and coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
  • Provide inputs from women, peace and security in the G5Sahel  project activities and results to the Regional Office reporting.

4.   Manage financial resources and supervise staff

  • Supervise and manage a team of professional and administrative staff, review performance and mentor/ coach staff;
  • Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the Project including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting;
  • Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners.

5.   Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

  • Provide technical support to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
  • Identify potential programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

6.   Advocate and facilitate knowledge building and management and communication

  • Ensure documentation of the project implementation process and products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines;
  • Contribute to the exchange of information and knowledge products internally and externally of the project;
  • Organize major advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products.

Key Performance Indicators

  • Timely and quality implementation of Project/Portfolio activities against set workplans, timelines and budgets, in line with the Strategic Note
  • Quality and timely reporting
  • Strong relations with partners and stakeholders
  • Regular and timely monitoring of activities 
  • Timely and quality implementation of advocacy events in line with work plan
  • Enhanced best practices and lessons learned documented and circulated

Competencias

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
  • Accountability
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Effective Communication
  • Inclusive Collaboration
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

  • Strong project formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Strong budget and finance skills
  • Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
  • Ability to synthesize project performance data and produce analytical reports in order to inform management and strategic decision-making
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Good knowledge of UN project management systems

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education and certification

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in public administration, law, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas is required.
  • A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
  • A project/project management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience

  • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in managing complex and multi-component project interventions with national partners, preferably related to women, peace and security agenda;
  • Experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating peace and security projects;
  • Experience in leading/managing interventions supporting women civil society organizations and networks is a strong asset
  • Previous experience working in the UN system is an asset.

Language Requirements

  • Fluency in English and French is required;
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.